Otis

© David Kjaer

The global Great Bustard conservation publication

Summer 2012

New hope GBG set to make historyonce more in the UK

The magazine of the Great Bustard Group Issue 40

© GBG library

‘Buddies’ - Win a GBG t-shirt!

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females are showing well on almost all the

trips. Our usual Stone-curlews are also

showing well and make a great addi on to

any visit.

The long term aim of the GBG to establish a

truly produc ve cap ve breeding

programme for the Great Bustard is moving

forward. A great trip to a private collec on in

Spain showed that it is possible to breed this

species in cap vity and provided a wonderful

founda on on which to develop even more

produc ve techniques. More details can be

found in the news sec on.

The LIFE+ project con nues to make progress

although the weight of documenta on

seemingly required is daun ng. The RSPB’s

Andrew Taylor has changed roles to take up

much of the monitoring work as the Univer-

sity of Bath concerns itself with academic

matters. With nes ng females expected any

day the task of monitoring is par cularly

important at this me.

The GBG is, and always has been, dependent

on its members for the opera on of the

project. Par cular thanks must be given to

Fred and Rona Andrews and to Charles

Hibberd who have undertaken the conver-

sion of a second hand portable building into a

bespoke quaran ne compliant incuba on

and rearing facility. The standard

of work and the finished

facility is first class.

I will now get myself

over to Russia to

facilitate bringing

the eggs back and

jus fying the

efforts of all those

who have worked so

hard on our behalf.

I write this at a me when I should be

packing. I am off to Moscow early in the

morning and have some mee ngs there

before travelling to Saratov. In addi on to the

usual expecta ons, hopes and stresses at the

start of a new season there is an extra consid-

era on this year. 2012 will be the first me

the GBG, or anyone else for that matter, will

transport eggs into the UK from Russia. The

eggs will come from the destroyed or

abandoned nests that provide the birds we

rear in Russia with the Severtsov Ins tute.

The eggs will be part way through incuba on

at the me of transport which

brings its own set of

problems. The correct

incuba on tempera-

ture and humidity

must be maintained

throughout the two

day journey, but if

anything hatches

the paperwork will

say ‘eggs’, and if I have

a chick the export could

be blocked. It will be a case

of everything being very carefully

planned and then keeping our fingers firmly

crossed!

The site visits are deservedly popular at the

moment. Displaying males and curious

A word from the Director

3

The Great Bustard Group is the UK registered charity and membership

organisation formed in 1998 tore-introduce the Great Bustard

O s tarda to the UK.

The GBG is actively involved in Great Bustard conservation and is working

with other organisations, both nationally and internationally to save

the world’s heaviest flying bird.

PresidentThe Rt. Hon. The Lord Tryon

Vice PresidentsDr Charles Goodson-Wickes DL

John Chitty CertZooMed. CBiol. MIBiol. MRCVS

Paul Goriup BSc. MSc.

TrusteesDavid Bond (Chairman)

John Browning Dina De Angelo Kevin Duncan Simon Gudgeon

Estlin Waters

DirectorDavid Waters

Contact1, Down Barn Close,

Winterbourne Gunner,Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 6JP. UK

01980 671 466enquiries@greatbustard.org

www.greatbustard.org

David Waters, GBG Founder and Director

GBG News

Otis Production TeamEditor: Suzy Smithson

Design: AA1 Media Ltd

Print: Bath Midway Litho

Front cover photograph

Great Bustard chick

Contents

4

In this issue

GBG supporter donates signed mug for the cause

14 Schools Karen Waters takes us back to the classroom.

15 Bustard Buddies The second edi on of our exci ng new pullout and keep sec on for your fledglings!

19 Mongolian Diversity Lenka Panackova reports on her trip to Mongolia and the issues it raised.

20 Keep the Nest - Part 2 Stanislav Khruchaew con nues his tale of Hawks and Falcons.

22 A ‘Great’ Great Bustard Day Photographer Mike Read takes us to Portugal for an update.

24 Buffon on Bustards Prof. Estlin Waters reviews a fascina ng book.

25 Morris Dancing for Bustards The Great Bustard Morris troupe talk to O s.

26 Great German Bustard Project David Waters and Alex Sto visit an incredible Project.

05 GBG News From Mongolia to Morris Dancing it’s all happening this Summer at the Great Bustard Group. We report on news from across the globe.

09 Fox Corner Aus n Weldon updates us on the life of the Red Fox on Salisbury Plain.

10 Meet Ashley Smith Lewis Cowen talks to the founder of the Hawk Conservancy Trust in Andover.

12 Bustardwatch Andrew Taylor reports on how the wild Great Bustards are faring this Spring.

13 It’s not just the Moustache. Kate Ashbrook reports on the secrets of Great Bustard breeding.

(Above) GBG’s auction winner (Inset) Trip to the German Project

5

Fact-finding in Spain

GBG News

In February David Waters and John Chitty were invited to a

private bird collec on in the south west of Spain. David had

been in email contact with Project leader Alanjero for some

me and had met him at a conference in Portugal in January

this year. David and John were accompanied by Jenny Hayes,

a veterinary colleague of John’s who grew up in Spain and

spoke perfect Spanish.

Alanjero and his colleagues have been keeping Great

Bustards from the me they were legal hun ng quarry in

Spain in the 1980s, and have a wealth of experience on the

species. David knew his friend and colleague Torsten

Langgemach from Brandenburg would be interested in the

Spanish trip and men oned it to him in passing. A quick

“where and when” established that Torsten was in the same

region of the country at the me inves ga ng Osprey

reintroduc on. Therefore he was able to join David and John

in a visit to the Spanish Bustard Project.

Further details of Alanjero’s work are intended to make a full

ar cle in a future O s, but it is safe to say here that the

condi on of the birds and the success of the project were

quite remarkable and an inspira on to all.

David, John & Torsten with Alejandro and his colleagues

Site PowerAn intermittent

power supply

has been an

o n g o i n g

problem for

the GBG and

the visi ng

o r g a n i s a -

ons within

the LIFE+

p a r t n e r s h i p

working from our

Salisbury Plain site.

What is a minor

inconvenience to the staff

could be a catastrophe with

eggs during incuba on or small chicks under heat.

Qine c, the defence industry company, gave the GBG a large generator for

their site on Salisbury Plain some me back. Charles Hibberd has rewired the

caravan office, the shop and the new quaran ne incuba on/rearing unit. Any

problems can now be dealt with by the flick of a switch and firing up the

generator. A real life saver for incuba ng eggs.

Membership Renewal TimeApril is the month when GBG membership is due for

renewal. If you have recently joined, your membership

will run on un l next April, but for longer standing

members, if you have not already renewed, now is the

me.

Membership is crucial to the GBG and to the running of

its ac vi es. The LIFE+ project covers 75% of it ac vi es,

leaving a 25% shor all, and significant part of the GBG's

ac vi es are outside the scope of LIFE+ and need their

own funding. Your membership is of huge value and

each subscrip on really does make a difference.

Tom Bailey (left) with John Chi y in Portugal

Following on

from Bill and

Ann Jordan's

super write up

of the

landscape and

bustards at

Castro Verde in

Portugal, David

Waters and

John Chitty visited Castro Verde in February for a conference on the care of

and rehabilita on of two high priority bird species there - the Lesser Kestral

and the Great Bustard.

In addi on to an excellent conference, there was a field trip and good oppor-

tun es to catch up and discuss bustard news with the other delegates. Tom

Bailey, who spent many years as a veterinary consultant in the UAE working

on Houbara Bustards and Falcons gave a series of presenta ons, and Sara

Hallagher gave a fascina ng presenta on on her work with the Kori Bustards

in Washington's Smithsonian Zoo. David and John both presented on their

work and experience with the Great Bustards. The conference was funded by

a LIFE+ project based in Castro Verde.

Portugal Trip a great success

6

GBG News

Mimi Kessler is the lady responsible for a

super human effort in conserving the Great

Bustard popula on in Mongolia. Based in

Arizona, Mimi spends most of her me

undertaking field work in Mongolia. She is

leading work on the migra on of the Asian

sub species and she has shown that the

birds cover far greater distances than were

previously thought. Mimi is also very ac ve

with a schools and childrens educa on

programme - recognising that the future of

the Great Bustard in Mongolia rests

with the future inhabitants of the

country.

Mimi was in the situa on where she

had a Great Bustard carrying an expen-

sive satellite transmitter, but the

project had no money to pay for the

satellite air me to receive the informa-

on recorded. The GBG is delighted to

have made a contribu on to her work

to keep the transmitter working.

GBG’s Egg and Chick appeal is s ll heading

upwards to its target of £10,000. Dona ons

keep coming in and I am sure we will reach the

target before the chicks are ready for release.

Even with the LIFE+ support the GBG s ll needs

to raise significant funds to keep the project

moving forward. A huge thank you to all of you

who used the envelopes supplied with the last

issue to send in dona ons.

Egg & Chick Appeal

Noisy bustards?Being birds of wide open spaces, Great Bustards are not easy to get close enough to hear.

Their display and courtship is largely a visual affair, and impressive it looks too. However

they do make noises, and it is likely they would use sound to communicate with each other

at close ranges.

There is evidence that the females use a call to warn chicks of danger, and there may be

more than one call; one for "run and hide", or "just look out", and another for "get out of

here". To help us try and learn what calls are made, and what they mean, the GBG has been

fortunate enough to have the help of Brian Harrison. He has spent his career recording

various types of wildlife for the BBC. He has fitted up a very sensi ve microphone inside

one of the plas c Great Bustard decoys inside the release enclosure.

We hope to be able to combine the sound recording with images from the direc on camera

in the enclosure and the equipment has been set up for both to record at the same me.

To record the sound, and the behaviour

associated with it, or the s mulus which

provoked it may be very interes ng

indeed.

One poten al use of this informa on is

the ability it will give GBG to mimic the

sound to teach young chicks certain

behavioural responses - what to do if they

are confronted with a fox for example..

Thanks from Mongolia

Kevin HylandThe GBG was recently delighted to

have a dis nguished guest in the

form of Kevin Hyland from the

Wildlife Protec on Office in Dubai,

UAE.

Kevin and David Waters met in Abu

Dhabi last year where Kevin was

lecturing on his successful cap ve

breeding of Stone-curlews. Kevin is

very well known in the Middle East

for his exper se on fish, but is also a

very accomplished aviculturalist. He

has successfully bred Houbara

Bustards, Kori Bustards, White

Bellied and Heuglins Bustards.

Kevin's advice and input on the

transport, rearing and keeping of all

bustard species is much valued and

the GBG looks forward to Kevin's

future involvement in the GBG plans.

Unspoilt Mongolian landscape

Brian at the Project Site

7

GBG News

The intended shipment of eggs rather than

young birds is an exciting one. The hope is to

be able to have young birds in the UK which

are fi er and in be er condition than those

which have been transported at a couple of

months old.

The UK end of the plan is fairly well in order.

The obvious need was for a place to incubate

the eggs and rear the chicks.

The work started with the delivery of a

portable building to our Salisbury Plain base.

The second hand white "anti vandal" unit

was swung off the back of the delivery lorry

and painted in the GBG corporate colour

(landrover green to be precise) within an

hour or so. There then began a remarkable

transition; Fred and Rona Andrews under-

took the modification of the inside from an

office with a kitchen unit into a incubation

Jeane e visited the Great Bustard enclosure at the Hawk Conservancy

room, hatching room and a rearing room

with divisions for chicks of different ages.

Add to this an outside run, a double door

porch and finally making the whole set up

compliant with strict quarantine regulations.

The windows needed to be securely

meshed, the outside run double ne ed and

the two layers separated, and a stand off

distance on the vertical panels. Fred cut a

hole in the side of the unit and made a door

through, linking the insides and the outside.

The interior was rewired by Charles Hibberd.

The number of electrical devices needed

seemed to be almost endless: two incuba-

tors, two humidity units, two room heaters,

three insect zappers, two hatchers, a fridge,

six heat lamps and additional lighting. The

end result is tremendous. Despite the

purchase of much new equipment, the

overall cost has been kept remarkably low,

and the unit really is a custom build to the

GBG's own specification.

The eggs will need to go straight into quaran-

tine the moment they arrive. They must stay

in quarantine until the last egg has hatched,

and then for another 30 days. Nobody can

be sure exactly when they will hatch, and

there could well be a week or so between

the first or last hatch dates, so the older

chicks could be inside the unit for 40 days or

so. Then, given the right results of all the

tests and health checks, the young birds may

leave the quarantine unit.

Perhaps the greatest challenge will be

ge ng the eggs into the UK in the first place.

Previous projects have in the past managed

to get special permission to have incubators

inside the aircra cabins. To have chicks

inside is strictly prohibited, but eggs in

incubators have usually been possible in the

past. A combination of ever tighter air

security and perhaps even more restrictive,

a corporate response from the airlines

makes any special arrangements very hard

to establish. Answers are found in policies

and manuals of "best practice"

these days. That said,

there is always a way

forward in these

situations, and there

can be no doubt that

GBG will find it!

Auction winner updateOne lot from last years auction was a day with David

Waters, and a behind the scenes look at the Project. A er

starting off with tea and a look around the bustard

museum which is GBG’s David and Karen Waters’ house,

Jeane e Smith was taken to the Hawk Conservancy for an

audience with the irrepressible Fergus and his friends. An

excellent lunch was had at the newly opened restaurant at

the Hawk Conservancy. This was followed by a trip to

GBG’s Salisbury Plain Project Site where some good views

of the wild birds were had along with the newly arrived

Stone-curlews.

Both Jeane e and David enjoyed the day a great deal and

David is delighted to report that Jeane e has now volun-

teered to give some time to the GBG at the Hawk Conser-

vancy - a great day and a great result all round. And

thanks to Jeane e for her enthusiasm!

UK rearing operation

Quarantine unit in place at the Project Site

Incubation facilities ready to receive the eggs

GBG News

8

In February, five of the LIFE+ project team visited the Great Bustard project in

Brandenburg in Germany. David Waters, Alan Goddard and Austin Weldon

from the GBG were joined by Tracé Williams and Andrew Taylor from the RSPB.

With an early morning (some suggested ‘middle of the night’) start, the team

were in the Buckow field station by late a ernoon, a er an easy drive across

Germany. The group was hosted by Torsten Langgemach and his colleagues.

The project in Brandenburg is the closest to the UK project, although the

German birds just escaped extinction despite the population dropping from

many thousands down to about 40. Thanks to conservation work, it is now up

to around 120 individuals.

The German incubation and rearing methods were compared closely to those

used by the GBG, and of particular interest were the different rearing

techniques. In broad terms, the GBG has sought to minimise the contact

between the young birds and the human staff - indeed the UK authorities

made this an express condition of the import licence. The German system

seeks to replace the role of the mother by humans, albeit ones in special

costumes. The Great Bustard has one of the longest periods of maternal care

in the bird world. Chicks will stay with their mother until January or even

February. There does seem a good deal of sense in trying to replicate some of

that care.

The team met with local farmers to discuss the farming and conservation

issues they face, and with local hunting organisations which work closely with

the conservationists. As well as the fox, escaped or released raccoons and

raccoon dogs cause significant problems for the Great Bustards and many

other species. Other predators, which are fully protected, include Goshawks

and the White Tailed or Sea Eagle. A diversionary feeding station has been set

up for the eagles to a empt to keep them away from the bustard sites.

The trip was a very useful one for the UK team and much was gained from it.

Some of the aspects of the German techniques will be incorporated into the

rearing of the eggs imported into the UK this year.

Bustards apart, there was a bit of time to see some other birds, including a

spectacular Crane roost with thousands of birds flying over our heads as they

came into roost. GBG is very grateful to Torsten and his colleagues for taking

the time to host the team.

LIFE+ German TripNew Birding Book

There is a great new book out

about the birds and birdwatch-

ing in Brandenburg. Wri en by

Roger White, this book has plenty

of maps, direc ons and advice on

how to get the most out of a birding trip to

Brandenburg. It is available from the GBG shop

and both a trip to Brandenburg and the book

are highly recommended.

GBG’s Allan Goddard meets the local farmers

The fours males at the HCT have been displaying well

and are clearly full of spring like hormones. There has

been some aggression between one of the younger

males and Fergus, who is now 7. Although the oldest

bird, Fergus is now outsized by some of the others. He

is however the only male likely to be old enough to be

fertile and with this in mind he has been taken away

from his usual residence at the Hawk Conservancy

to another pen where the GBG has two

females. One of these is in her second

year and should be old enough to

breed. The plan is perhaps a li le

optimistic, but the opportunity

to at least try should, and has

been taken. By next year the

GBG will have proper facilities

for the management of a

captive breeding flock. For now

we will just trust to a bit of luck

and the natural charm and

charisma which Fergus has in

bucke uls!

News from the HCT

The Bustard Bothy at the Hawk Conservancy is now open

Fox Corner

9

What are foxes up to at the moment?Aus n Weldon reports

As I write these words, I can hear a wealth of noise

coming from the wildlife outside my office

window. Indeed, the long dark days of winter have

been shaken off, frolicking lambs and sleeping

new born calves can be seen all over the place!

This is also the time when Mother Nature’s wild

creatures make the most of the forthcoming

bounty of food. For predators such as the fox,

young cubs will now be present across much of

the country, enabling them to capitalise on boom-

ing prey animal populations.

Red fox vixens can be prolific breed-ers and have been recorded produc-ing as many as 12 foetuses, but on average, li ers will number around five offspring. Evidence suggests that this number is directly related to food availability.

As a result of this, the average number of cubs

may vary from year to year. Interestingly, a vixen’s

body has the ability to absorb some, or all of the

embryos, if conditions are unfavourable.

Fox cubs are a great drain on the adults and take a

lot of feeding, so it is common to see adult foxes

actively hunting during the day when raising

young. From now until the summer is when you

might lose your domestic poultry in the middle of

The Red Fox (Vulpes vulpes)

the day – so keep a watchful eye and

reinforce your fencing!

Fox cubs are born blind and remain so for

10 – 14 days, they also have a woolly grey

coat and, as a result, they get 10 out of 10

for sweetness! They initially remain below

ground and will be nursed on milk for up to

five weeks of age. However, few people

realise, not only will the cubs have a

mother and father bringing food to them;

they will also have the assistance of other

foxes from the social group, especially

once the cubs have emerged from the

earth. These helpers are likely to be cubs

from the li er of the previous year.

A er weaning off milk, the cubs will readily

take solid food. This is likely to include

small mammals, particularly adult hares

and leverets, rabbits and small rodents.

Ground nesting birds also feature heavily

in the diet at this time.

Food items which are worth-while carrying back to the natal earth offer the most energy efficient nutrition for cubs at this time.

Once the cubs reach a few weeks of age they

play and fight to a great extent. This behaviour

serves the purpose of organising a hierarchy

between the siblings; it may also result in

smaller or poorer cubs getting weaker and

perishing.

Often the racket made by the cubs is the give-away of the location of an earth; the noise is likely to be comprised of squabbling, squawk-ing and yapping!

For nearby residents, especially in urban areas,

this has been known to cause some sleepless

nights!

Vegetation is now quickly starting to shoot,

and crops like oil seed rape provide a haven for

fox cubs. Fox mothers are notoriously sensitive

to disturbance so once the cubs are old

enough they will be moved to a new area, such

as a standing agricultural crop. From here, the

cubs can play and learn to hunt in a safe

environment until the crop is harvested at the

end of the summer.

Next issue we will look at the teenage cubs and

their path to adulthood.

© Peter Thompson GWCT

The Great Bustard Group is now involved with a large number of bird conserva on organisa ons all over the world. But few have such fascina ng – or eccentric – beginnings as the Hawk Conser-vancy Trust based at Weyhill, near Andover.

As many of you will know, the GBG has

established strong links with the Trust, found-

ing a Great Bustard house at the centre

where Fergus, one of the first intake of chicks

from Russia in 2004, holds court.

Ashley Smith started up the Hawk Conser-

vancy in 1980 but its genesis goes back well

before this. Ashley’s parents, Reg and Hilary

Smith, came to what was then Sarsen Farm in

1952. Ashley said: “As a hobby, mum and dad

used to look a er injured foxes, badgers and

so on that p e o p l e

brought in.”

With 25 acres to cultivate, Reg and Hilary

struggled to make a go of the farm so they

developed the animal hospital side of things

and, in 1966, founded Weyhill Wildlife Park.

Reg was interested in broadcasting and was a

regular guest on local radio programmes.

This, in turn, led to TV appearances on

children’s programmes like How! and Blue

Peter.

Ashley said: “Dad appeared on Blue Peter with an albino badger they were looking after. But the badger bit a researcher so dad just talked about the animals they looked after at the wildlife park.”

The effect was astonishing. The following

Saturday 450 people turned up to see the

animals for themselves. With no public

parking on the site, visitors’ cars blocked the

narrow lane to the farm and the police

threatened Reg with prosecution for obstruc-

tion of the highway.

But the die was cast. There was

demand for a wildlife park and a

wildlife park there would be. Reg and

Hilary sold off part of the land to

finance the alterations that were

necessary to make the site suitable for a

paying public.

Ashley has fond memories of growing up

among a menagerie. He said: “There was a

bear in the dining room and monkeys in some

of the other rooms. You don’t realise when

you’re growing up that your parents are

eccentric. You think everyone must have wild

animals in their homes.”

Being around animals all the time meant that

Ashley had no particular feelings towards the

wild world until, when he was 11 or 12 years

old, he saw a falconer called Paul Bevan fly a

Merlin. Ashley said: “There comes a time in

every young person’s life a defining moment

and this was the moment I became

interested in wildlife.

“I watched his relationship with the bird and

was fascinated by the bond he had

developed with what was still a wild creature.

I thought, you can keep your monkeys and

bears – birds are it.”

Ashley got his first bird, a kestrel called Asterix, after the cartoon Gaulish freedom fighter, in 1976 and his career path was set.

10

Meet Ashley Smith

A lifelong love of birdsLewis Cowen talks to Ashley Smith

(Above left) Ashley with his wife Tracey (Centre) With rehabilitated Honey Buzzard (Right) And with one of the Trust’s Barn Owls

(Left) Hilary Smith caring for an abandoned badger cub

Ashley is ingreat demandas a speaker

By 1980 his parents offered Ashley the option of se ng up his own bird of prey centre, which he eagerly did.

Sadly, Reg died in 1995 and Hilary in 2006 but

their names will forever be associated with

the Trust.

Seven acres of land were bought to create a

wildflower meadow in Reg’s name, home to

many species of bu erfly, bee and moth. A

new hospital for the care of injured birds of

prey was named in Hilary’s memory.

In 2004 the Hawk Conservancy became a

registered charity and became the Hawk

Conservancy Trust with Ashley as Chief

Executive Officer.

He has now stood down from that post,

taking on the title of Life President. He said:

“We got to the stage where we were so big I

thought we should get a grown-up in to run

things.”

This grown-up is Penny Smout, who has now

come in as Chief Executive ready to take the

Hawk Conservancy Trust to its next stage.

But Ashley does not rest on his laurels. He is still fully occupied around the Conservancy and, with his wealth of stories and an easy manner, he is in great demand as an a er-dinner speaker.

The relationship between the Hawk Conser-

vancy and the Great Bustard Group has been

a meeting of minds as much as anything else.

Ashley said: “We share a vet – John Chi y. I

met GBG’s Dave and Karen Waters at a dinner

party at John and his wife Kate’s and we got

on famously. I was really impressed that two

people could make such a monumental effort

to achieve their goal.

“While we were having a meal at Dave and

Karen’s one evening, the phone rang. Some-

one was asking to speak to the Great Bustard

Group’s marketing department. Dave put his

hand over the phone and asked, does anyone

want to be the marketing department?”

It was a natural progression for the Great

Bustard Group to have a presence at the

Hawk Conservancy Trust and the two groups

work hand in glove – both are dedicated to

conservation and education, so it is a

marriage made in heaven.

The Trust is involved in conserva-tion schemes for many endan-gered species of birds, notably the White-Headed Vulture in South Africa and the Oriental White-Backed Vulture in Paki-stan.

Ashley said: “I want to fly the flag for

vultures. They are not the most popular birds

in the world but I think they are beautiful,

and so impressive. They are nature’s under-

takers.”

There are huge changes taking place at the

Hawk Conservancy. A new restaurant capable

of catering for 150 people and costing

£500,000 opened at Easter and last year

60,000 visitors came to see the 150 birds

currently being looked a er on site.

Over 200 birds are cared for in the hospital

every year – coming in from the RSPCA,

police and members of the public.

The flying displays continue to be a firm

favourite with visitors and the centre is

encouraging a love of wildlife among children

who do not live in the country, would not

know a chaffinch from a vulture and get most

of their knowledge of nature from Blue

Peter…

Which leads us back to where it all started -

with an albino badger

biting a

r e s e a r c h e r ’s

finger.

11

(Above) Ashley’s father in the early days of the centre (Inset) An albino badger

far from

conv inc ing ,

but two year

old Pink 2 is

d e v e l o p i n g

quickly and is

s o m e tim e s

prepared to

c h a l l e n g e

Purple 5. We

have seen

them fighting

on one

o c c a s i o n ,

with necks entwined, but the older bird is

clearly stronger. Usually when we see them

together, Pink 2 behaves submissively

towards Purple 5.

As the displaying males built towards a

climax, in mid-March the females

disappeared. We spent a couple of weeks

following up reports of the group, but only

managed to catch up with them once, at our

new release site.

Happily, at the end of the month two of the females returned and were seen with the displaying males once again. At the me of wri ng we are just a few weeks away from the beginning of the breeding season.

Orange 15, our oldest female, remains

characteristically elusive. Despite her age,

she has never been confirmed to breed, and

does not

return to her

release site in the

Spring as the other birds do. We will continue

to search for her over the next few months,

following up any reports we receive.

Hopefully 2012 will prove to be the year in

which we finally find her nest site.

We reported on a number of dispersing young bustards in the last issue.

Only one of these was seen regularly until

March, the individual with a radio transmitter

in northern France. This bird spent over three

months in the same field feeding on lucerne,

a favourite food for Great Bustards. The last

sighting was in late March and she has not

been seen or detected through the radio

transmitter since. This is exactly the time of

year when we would expect any wandering

birds to return to their breeding site, and this

may well be the case with this bird, but we

are still waiting to find out if she has made

another successful channel crossing.

No further reports have been received of our

other young birds, which had reached Devon,

Dorset and Berkshire by the end of last year.

It would be no surprise if some of them did

reappear in the next few weeks, and if you

are lucky enough to encounter a Great

Bustard, or hear about a sighting, please use

the form on our website to report it, or

telephone 01980 671466.

www.greatbustard.org/about-us/sigh ngs

Bustardwatch

Spring brings stabilityAndrew Taylor reports

12

After all the movements of bustards around southwest England we saw in the autumn and early winter, the second half of the winter brought some welcome stability.

A settled group of two mature females and

two juveniles spent two months close to the

original release site, feeding on oil seed rape.

The close association between females and

juveniles through the winter can only have

been beneficial to the young birds involved.

While the older females appeared to be

indulging their maternal instincts, the adult

males showed little interest in the young

birds. Purple 5 and Pink 2 have been together

almost constantly since July 2011, and have

not been seen any distance from the release

site in that time. However, despite wintering

in the same area, the male and female groups

were only occasionally seen together.

The lekking season started on leap year day,

29th February, when Purple 5 was seen in full

display for the first time. At five years old, he

is by far the most impressive individual, with

unmistakeable white and orange feathering

around his neck and the ability to inflate his

sizeable throat pouch. He is also bigger than

any of the younger males. Nevertheless, Pink

2 and Black 9 are eager to practice their

displays. Black 9, approaching one year old, is

Purple 5 in display

T5 near Montchaton in Normandy, February 2012.

© David Kjaer

Map charting the movements of the bird that travelled to France

13

Great Bustards breeding

Displaying males & mate choiceIt’s not all about the moustache!

In 1859 Darwin proposed that many male sexual characteris-tics, such as ornamental plumage in birds and breeding displays, evolve through selection by females for these extravagant traits.

Great Bustards show the most extreme

sexual dimorphism among birds, with males

being around 2.4 times heavier than females!

As chicks, they grow much faster than

females and are already heavier at three

weeks old, reaching double the weight of

females at three months.

At the onset of the breeding season, males

increase their body mass by about 30%,

which may suggest that increased mass

enhances a male’s breeding success. The

body condition of a male before or during the

breeding season can have a significant effect

on his breeding success.

For example, males in good condition have

more energy to invest in secondary sexual

characteristics, such as the moustaches that

Great Bustard males develop. These

moustaches are thin, 15 – 20 cm long

feathers, which grow in tu s every winter in

males older than one year. When they

display, these feathers are raised up to show

off their length and abundance.

During the non-breeding season, their neck and breast is uniform grey, but starting in December, males undergo a moult for the breeding season, finishing with a colourful pa ern of contrasting dark chestnut at the base and ivory white at the throat.

In addition, males undergo an extraordinary

development of the subcutaneous tissue of

the neck, gular pouch and breast feathers;

this pouch is inflated with the oesophagus

during display. In Spain, females have been

found to prefer males

with longer moustaches

and thicker necks;

development which only

takes place if males are of

good physiological

condition.

In many species, older males are often more a ractive to females as they have lived longer and therefore must carry a greater proportion of ‘good genes’.

Although some of the sexual characteristics

of male Great Bustards, such as moustache

length and neck development, are linked to

age, researchers have suggested that the

difference between the success of males in

their capacity to display and a ract females is

mainly dependent on body condition. This

isn’t surprising in such a long-lived bird,

where sexual maturity is not reached until

males are 3-5 years old.

Across a wide range of species, females

evaluate males largely based on male vigour

in performing energetically demanding acts,

such as harem defence and male breeding

displays. In lekking species, where males fight

to establish rank and display to females over

an extended period, a racting females can

be very energetically-expensive. In Sage-

Grouse, the most vigorously displaying males

expend twice the energy over the course of a

day than non-displaying males! Great Bustard

males spend less time feeding and in some

cases are unable to fly at the end of the

mating season due to exhaustion, suggesting

that the displays of this species can be incred-

ibly costly. Gaining body mass as the onset of

the breeding season may be necessary to

provide energy for such intensive displays. A

high frequency of displays is needed to

a ract females and that is only possible

when males are in good condition.

Furthemore, males need to time their display

activity and orient themselves in a way that

will a ract the most females. During displays,

males li their tails and rotate their wings,

exposing their white body feathers.

Most of this white is on the back side of the male and under good conditions can be seen from more than 1 kilometre away with the naked eye!

It is most obvious when the sun shines

directly onto the white feathers, therefore

advantageous for males to orientate

themselves towards the sun. Courtship

activity at the lek is generally greatest during

the early morning; males direct their

displays towards the sun at this

time, possibly to a ract

distant females when

they leave their roost

sites, and towards

specific females

close to the lek

later in the day. So

males not only have

to look good to

a ract females, but be

vigorous and skilled in

their displays to get a ention!

Find out more: Alonso et al. 2005.

Field determina on of age in male Great

Bustards (O s tarda) in spring. European

Journal of Wildlife Research 52: 43-47

Morales et al. 2003. Male sexual display

and a rac veness in the Great Bustard

O s tarda: the role of body condi on.

Journal of Ethology 21: 51-56.

2y 3y 4-7y 8y+

Neck plumage development with age in Great Bustard males inSpain. Drawings by Professor Juan Carlos Alonso

Schools

GBG’s new recruit made a fine debut at the Great Bustard Group’s Creative Science and Technology Day at St. Andrew's VA Primary School, Laverstock. Karen Waters reports on a busy day in the classroom.

On a cold, but sunny day in early February,

the latest recruit to the education team – Li'l

O the Great Bustard Chick – made a stunning

debut as the inspiration for the Creative

Science and Technology Day held at St.

Andrew's VA Primary School, Laverstock.

Class 3 spent the day gaining insight into the

work of the GBG and the life of our Great

Bustards.

Li'l O proved an instant hit with the pupils

who were inspired to design and make

models where he and the eggs were well

camouflaged. The models were based on

work on ecosystems, habitats and the

geography of Salisbury Plain. This compli-

ments Class 3's current curriculum. To make

the models, pupils had to understand the

specific needs of Great Bustards.

A workshop on Comeback Contenders,

including beavers, large blue bu erflies and

wild boar, plus, of course, Great Bustards,

helped the pupils gain insight into the

broader picture of wildlife re-introduction,

especially their own local species and the

work involved by the GBG. Once they had

followed Li'l O's journey from an egg in Russia

to the Plain, including time in the rearing pen

in Saratov, they had good reason to see Li'l O

as a Super-bird. They reflected on the ethics

of re-introducing species and what would

happen to the eggs if they weren't rescued;

the birds that are released here; those that

are not released; helping both U.K. and

Russian wildlife; plus jobs that are created

here and in Russia.

For fun we challenged the pupils to think of Li'l O with an alter ego as a Super Hero. They gave a name, designated special powers and made a super vehicle with gadgets to help Li'l O in the super role.

Interestingly, the pupils chose bustard-

related challenges for Li'l O, mainly rescuing

chicks and saving the birds from predators.

A er lunch, we studied the a ributes of real

Great Bustards as Super Birds. This was

followed by a workshop on flight and wing

structures, involving the science of the flight

and wings of aeroplanes, helicopters and

birds. We learned about the biology and

structure of

birds that enable

them to fly – or not - as in the case of

penguins and ostriches.

The culmination of the day was making flying paper bustards and testing them in the school hall with an obstacle course representing threats to real flying bustards such as pylons and electricity cables, water, se lements and marshy areas.

Other classes came to watch the testing

which was great fun. Throughout the day

pupils were thinking, making, doing, reflect-

ing and planning. A er each activity they

were expected to discuss their work and how

it could be improved and what they would

like to share with others and work on in class.

Finally, they analysed the day as a whole and

how they had worked as individuals and

contributed to their team. They began work

on how they will share the day with the rest

of the school and decided to make their class

assembly a Great Bustard Assembly.

Each pupil received a Li'l O replica, a Fergus

badge, a certificate and Great Bustard poster.

The class was given a plaque as a memento of

the day. It was a huge pleasure spending the

day at St. Andrew's. The pupils were excellent

ambassadors for St. Andrew's and young

people their age. They were polite, helpful

and enthusiastic and were focussed and

engaged throughout the day working over

and above the level required by our high

standards of challenging learning. It is clear

from the reflection and planning sessions

that the pupils learned a lot. We appreciated

the commitment of everyone and know that

the day has stimulated thought for future

work in the school's curriculum. Our thanks

to Mrs. Karen Walker, Headteacher, Mrs.

Claire Woodward, Class 3 teacher and all the

rest of the school for their warm welcome

and hospitality.

Creative children learn with cra s

14

Karen Waters reports

A class of proud ar sts show us their progress, fine efforts all round!

INSIDEINSIDE - Win a t-shirt & Chris Packham meets Fergus

Comeand visit us

thisSummer!

The Junior magazine of the Great Bustard Group. Issue 2. Summer 2012

Bustard funBustard fun for the Brownies for the Brownies

This month my helper is Tom from

Hampshire. Tom is eight years old and

his hobbies are tennis, swimming and

he is a member of a drama company

who are appearing in the West End in

July! Tom recently visited the Great

Bustard Group to see the wild birds in

Wiltshire. He says “We saw Great Bus-

tards flying in the distance and looked

through binoculars to get a better

view of them. We went in the

Landrover which was very exciting!”

Beaker speaks to Tom

You can visit us too

and see the first

wild Great Bustards

in Britain for almost

200 years! Our birds

are free roaming and

fly all over the South

of

Eng-

land!

Great Bustards are

good at flying

See bustards through a telescope

Chris Packhamwith our star Fergus

See Eagles & Vultures

Hold an owl!

Seeunusual

birds

Visit theBustard

Bothy

Gordon Buchanan of Springwatch

with Fergus

Email buddies@greatbustard.orgfor more information on visiting Fergus and his friends

Why not visit my friendsWhy not visit my friendsat the Hawk Conservancy too?at the Hawk Conservancy too?

Winners!Winners!CompetitionCompetition

Have you seen a Great Bustard? We’d like to know..Have you seen a Great Bustard? We’d like to know..Email your story to: buddies@greatbustard.orgEmail your story to: buddies@greatbustard.orgor post to: Bustard Buddies, 1, Down Barn Close, Winterbourne Gunner, Wiltshire, SP4 6JP

We have a limited edition

‘Fergus’ t-shirt to give

away this month!

Simply email us your

favourite animal joke

and your age, and we’ll

print the best funny

in the next ‘Bustard

Buddies!’

buddies@greatbustard.org

Thanks to all who entered our

‘Funny Pets’ competition in the

last Bustard Buddies. And con-

gratulations to winners Mike

Prior from Wiltshire

who sent us ‘Headless

Hen’ and Claire

Smithson from

Berkshire for

her ‘Toilet Cat’.

Win a t-shirtWin a t-shirt

The Great Bustard is returning to Britain. Slowly but surely this incredible bird, once common-

place in the British countryside, is making the rolling hills of Wilt-shire its home a er an absence of 175 years.

The public is following the reintroduction

GBG Abroad

19

Threats to Mongolian BiodiversityLenka Panackova reports

Mongolia has one of the world’s oldest traditions of protected areas dating back to Ghenghis Khan in the early 13th Century.

The country retains vast areas of relatively

unspoiled natural habitats. One quarter of

Mongolia’s territory falls into one or more

categories of what the World Bank defines as

“critical natural habitats”.

Mongolia’s relatively intact ecosystems

support a number of species that are now

endangered or extinct in other countries

around the world, including several species

of crane – such as the White-naped and

Siberian Cranes and the Great Bustard. In

Mongolia, in addition to Otis Tarda, you can

find there the Houbara Bustard (Chlamydotis

undulata), Macqueen's Bustard (chlamydotis

macqueenii) and the Li le Bustard (Tetrax

tetrax).

Some 2,200 individuals of the Asian subspe-

cies of Great Bustard (Otis tarda dybowskii)

can be found in Central Asia. This subspecies

is included on Red Lists across its range in

Siberian Russia, Mongolia and China.

In the 1990’s, the Mongolian government instituted policies that promoted livestock trade and this resulted in a drastic increase in the numbers of herd-ers and their livestock that occu-pied pasture areas, this remains common to this day.

Livestock impact on wetlands is severe: they

trample nesting habitat for critically endan-

gered birds like the White-naped Crane and

o en destroy their eggs.

During my recent visit to Mongolia, in August

2011, where I spent two weeks ra ling

across the vast land in a Russian van, it

became very clear that Mongolia had

decided to step up their game and place

more emphasis on pu ng an infrastructure

in place in order to a ract

tourists and foreign investors.

Tourism operations have steadily

increased over the last two decades in

Mongolia as it proved to be an important

source of revenue for conservation and

provided local benefits through jobs and

souvenir sales, but it has not yet been

managed with conservation in mind. As the

number of visitors to protected areas

increases, adverse impacts on wildlife and

natural habitats become more likely. Tourism

infrastructure is already too dense and not

well planned in some protected areas.

The contrast of the vast green land, with the odd ger settle-ment and large tracks, piles of stones and dust is overwhelm-ing.

The country has commenced their race to

catch up with the “advanced” world. I found

it somewhat amusing to see a native ger that

was occupied by a herder’s family, being

decorated with a rather contrasting satellite

dish on its side.

Do the people, who so much love their

culture and traditions, who purposely build

their dwellings round, so no ghost finds a

corner to hide in, know the impact a motor-

way running through their “garden” will have

on their lives? How will this gentle nation

handle the first arrival of McDonalds inside a

service station and foreign investors or

holiday property hunters buying large

amounts of land, in order to build holiday

apartments, villas and warehouses?

What will happen to the unspoiled habitat,

where an eagle is peacefully perching by the

side of a track, to the White-naped Crane and

their eggs? Is the Mongolian Great Bustard

facing the same grim future as it once faced

on Great British land?

Our van traversing unmade roads of Mongolia

Is eagle habitat to be threatened by development?

Traditional ger complete with satellite dish!

Mongolia is home to many rare species of wildlife

Stanislav Khuchraew wrote in the last edition of Otis of his youth in the wilderness of the Russian countryside. Here he continues his enthralling story.

Next dawn I was already on the way to

Diakovka looking for a car to hitchhike. With

my luggage consisted of climbing irons, old

bed sheets to swaddle the chicks, and a

bo le of water, all packed in a rucksack. As I

managed to learn from Vladimir’s ticket, he

was to take a bus at 10:00 am. I was very

much concerned with my time advantage

and I was crucially losing it. At 15:00 I was

standing at the far end of the village looking

for another transport chance whereas

Vladimir had been right by arriving in

Diakovka by bus. Fortunately, a forest duty

car picked me up and an hour later I was

right under the nest .

The tree was so huge, I found myself climbing

and dreaming of revenge on the fellow who

forced me up there. Once I reached the

crown I had to hang onto the lateral branch

and catch it by a leg to skirt around the nest

that emerged like a cap. That was the most

complicated and dangerous manoeuver.

The tree top was swinging two meters there and back, but my weight slowed it down so all the other crowns around were swinging in rhythm, but mine, the tallest one, was a quarter late, making me dizzy and send-ing me into irresistible panic.

Yet as I straddled the branch I lost the fear

and concentrated on my pursuit. I met the

chicks face to face, they had been almost

fully fledged, all three in threatening

positions, high on their legs, wings unfolded,

tousle-necked, wide-eyed, crying at the top

of their lungs, squa ng on their tails. I

caught them one by one, offering my hand in

a glove, then I swaddled and packed them in

shoe boxes I had found at the cordon.

When the last box was placed into my rucksack I thought of leaving an impudent note to Vladimir in the nest but changed my mind as I feared that the shock may cause him to fall.

My way down was unexpectedly easy. Fear

le me alone and three small Goshawk

prisoners sat quietly behind my back .

Having reached the cordon I placed the

chicks in the big basket, covered them with

light cloth and set them down in a dark shed.

Then Unkle Lyosha, the hunter living there

and myself served ourselves tea on the

cordon’s veranda.

And just then I saw Vladimir passing by,

accompanied by the cordon’s barking dogs.

He had been travelling on foot, and was

clearly worn out by the hot and sandy road,

in fact he looked deadly tired. I immediately

felt sorry for him. My first impulse was to

stop him and to cry out what I thought of

him, but a moment later I decided to let him

climb that tree as a punishment for his

poacher deeds so I hid myself behind a door.

Uncle Lyosha had been taught how to

answer his questions if any came but

Vladimir passed by. When he disappeared

behind the curve all of a sudden I fell into

panic imagining the tired man risking his life

for a goal that had already gone, but I didn’t

stop him as he had to learn a lesson. I sat on

the porch, sweaty and depressed and

awaited the outcome.

At last some time later I saw him passing by ,

he avoided the cordon again and disappeared

amongst the old trees of the apple orchard.

Early morning next day I was again up on the giant poplar setting free the chicks. What a surprise it was when they ran away from me on the branches, quick as squirrels.

Why yesterday were they so easy to take?

Then I figured out their reason for such a

change. They had full possession of the nest

until yesterday. Even their parents had not

come there, instead throwing them meals

from above. Obedient to the parents

command the chicks were ready either to

catch the meal or to make themselves

invisible. The chicks had never seen the

actual enemy, face to face, they didn’t know

how to react to intruders.

20

Meet Stanislav Khuchraew

Keep the Nestof Hawks and Falcons - part 2

The mighty Goshawk on her nest

© Dave Kjaer

Yesterday they learned that the huge

stranger could cause most unexpected

troubles. And if you would seize his long

limbs with your talons he could immediately

clutch you. So the correct behaviour was to

escape.

Thus my invasion speeded the chicks progress. In a week they had already started their flights from branch to branch and gradually got out of sight.

Later I met them there and then, as young-

sters they stayed long around their nest site

and highly depended on their parents.

I have seen plenty of raptors nests since then

and a particular story binds me with each of

them, but this is outstanding among others.

When I was thirty five I brought my younger

son there. He was three years old and could

easily operate such definitions as ‘beautiful,’

‘interesting’ and ‘I like.’ I showed him the

nest, I also presented him with the nests

habitants on my camera screen.

I didn’t tell him what I had been told ‘Watch

the nest but never show it to anybody

because..’. My son was still too young but the

chance was lost as a year later the half of the

giant grove had been cut to firewood.

Goshawks abandoned the nesting area and

moved to a picturesque place called Big

Pine by local people. That was a hundred

year old pine forest, spread for a few tens of

hectares along the forest lake. Roes used to

come there for drinks and boars enjoyed

their mud baths.

Goshawks had moved at the right time as

wildfire wiped out almost all of what was le

of the poplar grove. Sadly the pine forest

fared no better as a neighbouring tree,

broken by strong winds fell right onto the

nest. The tragedy happened in the night and

the next morning chicks were no more seen

in the nest.

Apparently they had been tossed out by the

hit. However, the parents didn’t leave the

nesting area and I assumed that at least one

chick survived the fall and the adults had

been feeding it on the ground. As I realised

that I ceased to come to this part of the

forest so as not to disturb the family. n a few

weeks I needed to visit the place as I had le

a climbing rope on a nearby tree. I had fixed

it well before the nest had been crushed

because I had set a camera on the tree and

needed a rope to climb there in the darkness

to change accumulators, memory cards and

se ngs.

I had already removed the camera by then

but the rope I le until the chicks le the

nest. As I climbed the pine I heard familiar

sounds. Goshawks! They were coming closer,

I could recognise their shadows flashing

among trunks, it was clear they were pursu-

ing prey. I pressed myself against the tree,

fully reliant on the security rope and from my

high position caught sight of a hare. It was

charging towards my hide, in short passes,

low on its legs, circling above it were two

young hawks consistently attacking.

The hare had burrowed in the thicket under my tree and its aggressors had to sit on the branches. One was just a metre and a half down from me and didn’t pay atten on to my pres-ence. I could see both birds clearly, its was the chicks of this year.

My heart sang as I knew there couldn’t be

any other youngsters in this area, so at least

two survivors out of three had made it, now

grown-up and even trying to hunt. Relaxing a

little I changed my position to get a better

view of my neighbours down there and,

taking pieces of pine bark, I started throwing

it down to their heads. The hawk I hit shook

himself in a dog- like manner, rolled his head,

but neither looked at me nor flew away.

So seated we were for another half an hour,

until the hare regained his courage and the

pursuit started again. I didn’t have my

camera but who could imagine to witness

anything like that being high up a pine tree.

Within a y e a r most of Big Pine grove had gone in further wild fire. Remains of the forest were gradually and consistently cut down. The cordon house was destroyed more than fifteen years ago, its residents disappeared. Nikola-ich re red and moved to the city.

The nest I was to ‘watch but never show to

anybody because..’ doesn’t exist any more.

Neither does the Diakovka conservation

area, less than ten hectares are le from

thirty thousand hectares of Diakovka forest.

At my last tour through the burned Diakovka

forest I drove between blackened pine

trunks, with unusually yellow needles,

passing dead birch groves and charred

thicket of white acacia.

The same way Nikolaich and myself had

made on the small tractor many years ago,

but now my four wheel drive choked with

ashy dust when climbing a dune or skidding

in the black hollows, covered by caked sand.

I passed by the totally burned orchard and

found myself in a familiar place. It was recog-

nisable in no real way, but my inner navigator

told me that the cordon once had been here.

The charred remnants of a tree thrust up

from the ground looking like a half burned

hand. My heart ached, cold shivers went up

my spine, I got so uncomfortable in this place,

I put my car in gear and drove away but

could not take my eyes away from the

ominous hand looming in the rear-view

mirror.

There was nothing to show to my growing

son and nothing to watch any more…

21

(Above) Stas & colleague Olga (Right) Goshawk

22

Portugal

A ‘Great’ Great Bustard Day in Portugal Mike Read reports

Imagine my surprise when, on returning from Portugal, there on my doormat was the Spring 2012 issue of Otis featuring the very area where we had just had a great day of birding. I felt that my experiences may equally be of interest to Otis readers.

A rather leisurely start to the day saw us

driving out on to the Castro Verde plains at

about 10.30am. Our aim was to find a few

Great and Li le Bustards, plus other bird

species, and perhaps even try for a few

photographs. By the end of the day we had

seen 156 Great Bustards without leaving

public roads and tracks. Here’s how we did it!

Having visited the area before, my wife Liz

and I knew the Castro Verde to Mertola road

was a good star ng point. At various

loca ons along this route there are places

where good views can be obtained over

surrounding countryside. Our first two stops

drew a blank so it was me to pause for a

coffee at a more suitable lay-by. Nine kilome-

tres from Castro Verde, a right turn took us

towards and then beyond Rolão. On roadside

wires there were occasional Southern Grey

Shrikes, Red Kites dri ed on lazily-flapped

long wings and Corn Bun ngs were do ed

along roadside fences. Just beyond a slight

rise a suitable ‘lay-by’ gave views over large

tracts of rolling countryside. Whilst Liz got

out the thermos, I began scanning. Within

minutes, two small groups of Great Bustards

were in view in the distance. A dozen males

were prominent in a green field while

amongst the more typical natural vegeta on,

there were 16 females. Both groups were

close to the tops of higher ground thus giving

them the ability to see danger either side of

the rise or, alterna vely, wandering out of

sight of disturbance or danger without having

to resort to energe c flight. We celebrated

with coffee AND a chocolate biscuit ..or two!

A er this, we con nued along the road to a

T-junc on and a le turn took us on smaller

roads towards Mertola. White Storks stood

sedately beside a couple of ponds where a

few Mallard and Coots could also be seen. As

we stopped in our car, the storks unfortu-

nately departed. Why are they so nervous of

cars and people when they o en nest in

villages or towns in close proximity to

humans?!

Near Guerreiro we located another two

groups of Great Bustards. There were 13

males, some now with good breeding

plumage developing, feeding fairly close to

the road and at a much greater distance 22

birds fed quite unconcerned at our car. Here,

as in most cases, we remained in our car

whilst we watched. The shape of a car seems

to be much less worrying to these enigma c

birds than even a distant person.

Near Penilhos a group of eleven Li le

Bustards were in a small field close to the

road. Here it was even more important for

the human form to remain hidden so a er a

brief viewing (plus a few photos) we drove

onwards leaving the birds to con nue

feeding. Hoopoes, Calandra and Crested

Larks and Azure-winged Magpies all added to

our sigh ngs while just a er João Serra,

White Storks were beginning to add material

to their nests. Some were even si ng but I

assume they were just res ng on this lovely

sunny day rather than incuba ng eggs. It was

only mid February a er all.

Crossing the Castro Verde to Mertola, N123

road and heading towards Corte Pequena, a

passing male Hen Harrier spooked another

couple of Li le Bustards into revealing

themselves and, as they sped off on whirring

wings, at the same me a group of 11 Great

Bustards flew eastwards on heavy, slow

wingbeats.

Great Bustards in natural habitat in Portugal

© Mike Read

Just a few kilometres along this road we

turned le on to a gravel track signposted to

“No. Sra. Arq. Celli”. This leads to a beautiful

hill-top church from which the views are

absolutely stunning. We could almost see

360˚ but being mid a ernoon, birds were

somewhat quiet. Groups of three, five and

eight Great Bustards could just about be

made out despite the long range viewing.

These birds are really unmistakable once

located! A er relaxing and finishing the

coffee in the shade of some Eucalypts, we

eventually dragged ourselves away and

headed back to the N123 passing many

Lapwings and Golden Plovers as we went.

These two wader species had frequently

been encountered throughout the day and

only once had they been close to pools of

water. On that occasion we also had good

views of a Spo ed Redshank which seemed

somewhat out of place.

A right turn on to the N123 soon produced

the most unexpected sighting of the day

when a juvenile Spanish Imperial Eagle

circled overhead for a while before moving

off south presumably in search of a late

a ernoon meal. Beyond Sao Marcos da

Ataboeira we suddenly became aware of

23

some more ‘hill-walking’ Great Bustards. Liz

counted 29 and I made it 37. How could our

counts of fairly close birds be so different? I

then realised we were both looking in

opposite directions! Some were to the south

of the road, others were to the north. Thank-

fully there was just enough room to squeeze

the car into a gateway from where we

watched and as we did so, two of those to the

north of the road took off and flew over to

join the 29. Luckily we were amongst some

trees so I was able to stand outside the car

and, in ones, twos and small groups, the

remaining birds took off and flew right

overhead to join the others. My camera was

almost warm from the succession of shots I

took! It was a fantastic end to a highly

successful tour around the beautiful Castro

Verde plains where, in just one day, we had

encountered a total of 71 species of birds

including 13 Li le and 156 Great Bustards.

Not only that, but the scenery had added

greatly to the occasion. Brilliant!!

Let’s hope that people’s dreams will come

true, the Great Bustard will make a deserved

comeback in Britain and that one day we will

be able to see dozens of this wonderful bird

during a single day out around Salisbury

Plain.

This was just

part of our trip to

Southern Portugal in preparation for leading

a tour there in April 2013 for Travelling

Naturalist. See their web site

www.naturalist.co.uk for full details of this

and the many other easy-going tours they

organise.

(Above) The open lands of Portugal make perfect Great Bustard habitat (Right) Li le Owl

Mike Read is a freelance photogra-

pher and writer and, along with wife

Liz, leads tours for Travelling

Naturalist. Mike also gives

illustrated talks throughout south-

ern England. Visit Mike’s web site

(www.mikeread.co.uk) where you

can see his broad range of photo-

graphic work. He also sells canvas

prints, fine art giclée prints and

notelets and is willing to donate 10%

of orders to the Great Bustard Group

if you men on them when ordering.

© Mike Read

When Howard Saunders revised and

enlarged William Yarrell’s best selling A

History of Bri sh Birds in 1882-1884, he

began the essay on the Great Bustard as

follows –

“Those who are desirous of ascertaining

what was known of the Great Bustard in

more ancient mes, may consult the works of

Aelian, Albertus Magnus, Aldrovandus,

Aristotle, Athenaeus, Belon, Oppian, Pliny,

and Plutarch; but for the purposes of the

present work it will suffice to consider more

recent authori es…”

I had never thought of consul ng these

ancients or even reading much about them.

However I recently came across volume 2

(out of 9) of The Natural History of Birds from

the French of the Count de Buffon which has

a sec on on the Great Bustard. It is an English

transla on of the bird sec on of Count de

Buffon’s Histoire Naturelle, generale et

par culiere. Count de Buffon (Georges-Louis

Leclerc) was a wealthy and much traveled

French naturalist born in 1707. His Histoire

Naturelle, generale et par culiere was

published in parts and in many edi ons and

various transla ons. The first edi on was

published between 1749 and 1804 in 44 large

volumes, some published a er Buffon’s

death in 1788. It was a sensa on. Volume 2

of The Natural History of Birds from the

French of the Count de Buffon starts with 34

pages on the Great Bustard and this is

followed by 20 more on the Li le Bustard and

on Foreign Birds that are Analogous to the

Bustards. This transla on of Buffon’s great

work was published in 1793 in London,

incidentally the year that Buffon’s son was

executed by the guillo ne. Using his large

collec on of bird skins, Buffon spent much

effort iden fying species as at that me the

same bird was given different names and

different birds were given the same name,

some mes in different languages and some

names changed over me. Thus O s was

o en confused with Otus (owls) and this is

men oned by Buffon on half a dozen pages.

Males and female of the same species were

some mes classified as two species, when

their plumage differed. Buffon studied the

ancient naturalists, o en cri cally, as he felt

their accounts could be connected usefully

with those of his own me, which was the

only way of making progress in natural

history. He made many personal observa-

ons though it is not always clear if

comments are from his experience or from

other writers. At the me many publica ons

were simply repe on of other accounts.

Buffon devotes many pages to the wri ng of

others and points out their errors and

conflic ng views. These detailed compari-

sons Buffon admits are rather tedious but he

is convinced that they are necessary. The

reader who carefully follows these wri en

confusions is glad to read, half way through

the Great Bustard pages, that Buffon admits

that he has dwelt long enough on “words”

and says it is me to proceed with “things”.

Buffon viewed studies on cap ve animals as

“hardly worth the a en on of a philosopher,

who admires Nature only when free,

independent, or even wild”. Buffon had

much correspondence with other European

naturalists. He was a member of many

learned socie es and was a Fellow of the

Royal Society of London. The Rue de Buffon is

a street in Paris named a er him.

So what informa on did the great Buffon

have on the Great Bustard? He knew its size

and weight, measured by himself. He

correctly describes the slow walk and that it

avoided wet places. The 3 toes were all

“anterior”. Buffon knew about the gular sac –

a singular reservoir peculiar to the male. The

female laid 2 eggs on the ground with no nest

and incubated for 30 days (a good es mate, if

a li le long). He recorded it breeding in

growing corn. Buffon records flocks of 50-60

in the U K and knew that the birds were

chased by greyhounds. Buffon described its

distribu on in Great Britain as the open

country on the east and south from Dorset to

Scotland. He dissected to learn the internal

anatomy and had a good idea of the bird’s

diet. Buffon knew only a small part of the

males’ display as he writes that in the pairing

season, the male struts around the female

and spreads his tail into a sort of wheel.

Other aspects of the display are not

men oned. The quills of this bird are used in

wri ng and anglers use them on their hooks.

The flesh is excellent, that of the young

remarkably delicate. Buffon states if some

writers have maintained the contrary, this

arises from their confounding O s with Otus.

When hunted, Bustards run fast and

some mes proceed for several miles without

interrup on. Buffon’s cri cal powers are

evident in several places. For example he

quotes how the anxious hen dreads visits by

sportsmen so she takes her eggs under her

wing and transports them to a safe place but,

says Buffon, “it is not described how”.

Bustards are excessively morous and hate

dogs and foxes but have affec on for the

horse.

Buffon quotes Aelian that, in the kingdom of

Pontus, foxes a ract Bustards by lying on the

ground and raising their tail which moves like

the neck of a bird. Bustards mistake the tail

as one of their own species, advance towards

it without hesita on and become the foxes

prey. Buffon concludes this story that it

“implies much subtlety in the fox, much

stupidity in the Bustard, and perhaps more

credulity in the writer”.

Book Review

24

Buffon on the Great Bustardby Prof. Estlin Waters

Estlin Waters Prof.

The Great Bustard Morris side in Wiltshire report on how they became who they are and how they’re helping raise awareness of the British bustard.

‘We are the Great Bustards of Wiltshire!’ So

the opening announcement is shouted out to

the audience, from our Squire Andy

Barrington. An experienced Morris dancer

from at least two sides, and a very talented

musician. He not only plays the melodeon for

the dance side, but also keyboards, concer-

na and many other instruments in his spare

me. His wife, Liz is also well experienced in

dance, and plays melodeon, flute and wood-

wind for the side.

When the side that they were with folded

due to lack of members, Andy began to think,

“wait a minute.” I could create a Morris side!

Whilst pondering this thought, they visited

the Great Bustard Group on Salisbury Plain

and were enchanted by the reintroduc on

programme of these wonderful birds. They

bought up lots of the badges and with Andy’s

knowledge of the bustard being featured on

the flag for the county of Wiltshire (as

designed by Mike Prior) the name of the side

was sealed. The Great Bustards of Wiltshire

Morris!

It took three or four a empts to recruit

enough people to begin with; but then it just

seemed to ‘take off’! The costumes had been

carefully designed and made by Liz, and they

both wished their side to be the most smartly

turned out morris side in Wiltshire, if not

further afield. Resplendent green and gold

baldricks, colourful flowery hats and shiny

black shoes are their kit. They dance not just

with the ordinary white hankerchiefs, but

with addi onal green hankies too. To

contrast with the hanky dances, they chose

to do s ck dances too. Using hazel s cks for

some of the tradi onal dances, and axe

handles, for the bustards home-made

dances. The axe handles are sturdy enough

not to break easily and give a good loud, clear

‘clash’.

Yes, that’s right, home-made dances. Andy

and Liz invent their own dances, mostly in the

style of Cotswold Morris (Wheatley and some

from Adderbury). But they are not adverse to

including ones from the Border, or hooligan

dances such as Tinner’s Rabbit.

But ge ng back to the home-made ones.

They try to raise awareness of the bustards

every me they dance, explaining how it is

featured on the Wiltshire County flag and

how it was Wiltshire’s na ve bird.

Uniquely, the Squire, has created two new dances in honour of the birds.

One dance called the ‘Bustards Nest’,

features the dancers taking on the role of the

chicks, looking le and right for the parents

bringing them food. Spinning round in their

nest and stomping their feet when none is

forthcoming.

Another dance (Flights of Fancy) features

new dance figures such as ‘Wings’ which is

unique. It begins with two dancers ‘flying’

out behind their neighbours. Then all four of

those dancers ‘flying’ out in V shape to form

a line with the remaining two dancers. This

gives a line up of dancers facing the audience

- totally

new in

Morris, and then

they perform a chorus all in

line behind one another. This looks great to

see.

And they have adapted a third dance (a

tradi onal one called Bluebells of Scotland -

now Bluebells of Salisbury) which begins with

the troupe all walking around in a large circle

prior to the dance, singing: ‘Oh where, Oh

where, have all the bustards gone? They’ve

gone down to Salisbury with all their feathers

on! And then crack straight into a lively

dance.

Although on one rare occasion the lyrics were changed again to ‘O where has all our audience gone?’ Sadly on that occasion there were no doors at the event to be able to keep the crowd captive!

Bustard Supporters

25

Morris Dancing for the bustard!by Flash of the Great Bustard Morris side

The dancers perform a variety of dances

And the crowds turn out to watch!

GBG’s web designer Alex Sto recently travelled to Germany to meet the German Great Bustard project team in Brandenburg. Here Alex reports on what trans-pired to be a most educational trip.

During March this year, David Waters and I

had the opportunity to visit the German

Great Bustard project in Nennhausen in

Brandenburg. The purpose of the trip was to

share experience on several fronts and an

opportunity for us to meet with the German

Great Bustard teams to forge new links.

Upon our arrival in Nennhausen, during the

early evening, Torsten Langgemach of the

Brandenburg State Office for Bird Conserva-

tion immediately took us to the observation

tower near the project centre.

This tower makes brilliant use of the flat landscape that surrounds it, with fantastic 270 degree views.

The German Great Bustard population is well

established, with comparatively large

numbers of birds se led in locations in the

countryside - 110 birds were recorded living

in the wild in 2009.

As the sun set, we were treated to a view of

two males in breeding plumage a empting

to woo several groups of females slowly

making their way across the fields in the

evening light.

The following day, Torsten gave us a wider view of the ecology of the local area by taking us to see some of the large areas of farm-land, many of which were flooded, providing an ideal envi-ronment for a vast number of species.

Despite having missed the few weeks when

hundreds of migratory birds wheel around

the skies, my companions, all having a

sharper avian eye than myself, identified

species a er species of waterfowl, birds of

prey and other winged fauna. We also saw,

albeit briefly, several Moor frogs beginning to

colour up to their distinctive blue breeding

hues.

26

GBG Abroad

German Great Bustard Society meetingBy Alex Sto

The a endees of the Annual General Mee ng of the Great Bustard Society outside the Project offices

© Dave Kjaer

Bustard viewing tower and informa on board

27

The challenges that Great Bustards in

Germany face are both familiar and decidedly

different to those faced by the birds in the

UK. Whilst preda on is an issue wherever

eggs and young animals are involved, the

main foe of the bustard in Britain, the

common fox, doesn't have the ability to climb

tall trees and fences and open locks! Racoons

and raccoon dogs most certainly do and are a

threat to bustard numbers in Brandenburg.

Young bustards are also at risk of a ack from

above: the diverse bird popula ons in

Germany are a mixed blessing; preda on

from eagles is not unheard of.

On our final full day in Germany we were

invited to give a presenta on at the annual

AGM of the Gross Trappe Schultzon (the

Great Bustard Society) on the GBG's success-

ful fundraising and increasing awareness in

the UK. The Great Bustard Society is an NGO,

which receives no government funding, and

so are constantly looking for new fundraising

and awareness ini a ves.

We also got to hear reports on the birds

progress in the wild and plans for 2012. The

last item on the agenda was the approval of

the new website for the group which is now

online at h p://grosstrappen.de/ Raccoon dogs are known predators, o en pillaging bustard nests to eat the eggs

The new,

informa ve

website

h p://grosstrappen.de/ The new website of the German Great Bustard project

Membership

28

Help us con nue the work of the GBG. Membership is a lifeline for the Project.

RENEWALS DUE NOW

MEMBERSHIPPay monthly from just £1.66 a monthBecome a member of the Great Bustard Group to help secure the future of this amazing bird.

Simply fill out the form & send to the address shown above or give to a GBG staff member. Membership includes:

Quarterly magazine OTIS Booklet about the Great Bustard Free guided visits of the release site Invitations

to all Fundraising and Social Events Membership badge Car sticker

Annual Membership (tick box)

Ordinary £20 Family £25 Fellow £75 Life Member (Single payment of min £500) Renewal

Your details

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Instruction to your Bank/Building Society to pay Monthly Standing Order

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If you are a UK taxpayer, the Inland Revenue will give us an extra 25p for every pound you give.

Please tick the box and sign. It’s that simple! I am a UK taxpayer and request that my membership and all gifts of money that I have made in the past four years and all future gifts of money that I make to the

Great Bustard Group from the date of this declaration be Gift Aid donations. I understand that I must pay an amount of Income Tax and/or Capital Gains Tax for

each tax year (6th April one year to 5 April the next) that is at least equal to the amount of tax that the charity will reclaim on my gifts for that tax year.

Signature ...................................................................................... Date ................................................................................................

Please pay the Great Bustard Group (Nat West, 48, Blue Boar Row, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP1 1DF, Account Number 29562325, Sort Code 54 - 41 - 19) the sum of (minimum £1.66) £ .................. on 1st day of each month until further notice.

To the Manager Bank/Building Society

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www.greatbustard.org membership@greatbustard.orgPostal address: 1 Down Barn Close, Winterbourne Gunner, Salisbury, Wiltshire, SP4 6JP

GBG is a registered charity number 1092515

Join the GBG & help us to bring the bustard back

Enclose payment, glue here, seal and post to the address overleaf

30

Affix stamphere

ww

w.greatbustard.org

Membership Secretary,The Great Bustard Group,1 Down Barn Close,Winterbourne Gunner, Salisbury,SP4 6JP.

Fold here, glue or tape edges closed

Great Bustards in Germany90% of the Great Bustards in northern Europe are in the east of Germany in the State of Brandenburg. This new Bird Guide (by GBG supporter) includes sec ons on the two main Bustard reserves.

The book describes:• How to get there• Finding the Observa on Hides• The main Visitor Centre• Where to stay• Other bird life nearby

Where to see the large gatherings of wintering geese, and the autumn migra on of up to 60.000 Common Cranes.White-tailed Eagles are a common sight and there are direc ons for finding other species such as Corncrakes, White and Black Storks, Black Woodpeckers, Thrush Nigh n-gales, and Barred Warblers. 110 sites are described and the book is illustrated in colour through-out with photographs and detailed maps.

Obtainable in the reserve shop, from www.greatbustard.org or direct from the author: roger.white4@virgin.net (men on GBG) price £19.9540% of proceeds from sales (£8 per copy) goes to GBG

We need volunteers, all year round, especially weekends, hours are totally flexible but one regular day per week is desirable

What’s in it for you:You will join a small team of enthusiastic visitor guides who love telling people about Great Bustards

The opportunity to drive a Landrover around Salisbury Plain regularly, seeing a host of other farmland birds and wildlife such as corn bun-ting, stone-curlew and brown hare. As well as seeing the expanse and grassland of the Plain and its wild flowers. And join in with fun events and membership evenings.

For more information email lynnederry@greatbustard.org.

We need you!We need you!

Do you need a speaker?

www.david-waters.com/speaking

07800 649498

David Waters is a committed conservationist and countryman, providing wonderfully engaging talks on a vast range of subjects, from wildlife, historical events, the English countryside and country sports to the Zulu wars and antique weaponry.

Or book a visit and buy in-store 07817 971 327

Adultt-shirts

only

£10

Summer t-shirts now in stockSee www.greatbustard.org